Some advice wanted from a new guy.......

Hi all,

Let me set the picture a little, I recently met an old friend for lunch and he turned up on a retro Cindercone. Over lunch many tales of I used to have one and the great times and rides were told.
Since then I haven't stopped thinking of the bikes I've previously owned and the one I continually come back to is the Kona. Now it's become an itch I need to scratch.

I have posted a wanted on here for a mid to late 90's steel framed Kona and have been looking at them over the last few weeks.
Word of mouth has led me to a 1999 Explosif, which is just at the end of where I wanted to be, but it's pretty original and in good shape.

Now the questions are.... Is the '99 Expolsif fundamentally the same as it's earlier counterparts, as in quality of frame etc? What sort of money should I look to pay? It's a reasonable spec of LX, XT mix with mavic rims. Are there any places on the frame that are liable to damage, joints etc?

Thanks in advance for anyones help with this.

Cheers,
John

The '99 Explosif was Reynolds 853 I think, tubing which is considered by many to be some of the best there is.....

Anthony will be along shortly to tell you all you need to know about it, he is the resident expert


G

Cheers G, I'll await Anthonys arrival.

I think the 1999 Explosif has the same frame as the 1998, I own a 1998 and it's the best bike I've ever ridden. It's absolutely perfect for my riding style and has outlasted many many bikes I've owned and subsequently sold.

1999 bikes seen to crop up less than the 1998 frames and in my opinion look nicer. Is it in standard kit? if so the forks (Z2s I think) are great and the overall spec is pretty good. Sadly because it's a Kona, they tend to command a slightly higher price. Obviously everything depends on condition and quality of components, but don't expect to get much change from £300-400 as this is what a decent condition bike might expect to make on Ebay. If you can get it for less than that then go for it, as long as it's in your size then you won't be disappointed.

Here's a link to the 1999 catalogue: http://www.klassickona.com/oldgold/99bi ... einfo.html

markwashington":2n0gujlr said:

I think the 1999 Explosif has the same frame as the 1998, I own a 1998 and it's the best bike I've ever ridden. It's absolutely perfect for my riding style and has outlasted many many bikes I've owned and subsequently sold.

1999 bikes seen to crop up less than the 1998 frames and in my opinion look nicer. Is it in standard kit? if so the forks (Z2s I think) are great and the overall spec is pretty good. Sadly because it's a Kona, they tend to command a slightly higher price. Obviously everything depends on condition and quality of components, but don't expect to get much change from £300-400 as this is what a decent condition bike might expect to make on Ebay. If you can get it for less than that then go for it, as long as it's in your size then you won't be disappointed.

Here's a link to the 1999 catalogue: http://www.klassickona.com/oldgold/99bi ... einfo.html

Click to expand...

Thanks for the very informative reply. It appears that I may have been a little hasty as I bought the one I knew about tonight. Having looked at the spec of the original bike it appears that this one has lost a lot of it's factory parts along the way. This is the ad that the seller posted,

Very Rare To Find An Original 17" Kona Explosif Bike.

Fantastic Quality Reynolds 853 Steel Frame.

Been Riding This For The Last Few Years Commuting Around London, But Have Decided To Change For A Road Bike, So Selling This To Make Space.

In Great Overall Condition. Everything Works As It Should - No Cracks Or Dents, Only Scuffs And The Odd Mark To Paintwork. Chain Stay Has Been Painted Over Due To Paint Scuffs.

Selling With Both Original Project 2 Forks And Will Also Throw In A Pair Of Marzocchi Bomber Z4's.

Also Fitted "safety Skewers" To Front/rear Hub And Seatpost, To Deter Thieves.

21 Speed
Mavic X517 Rims
Diore V-brakes
XT Brake Levers
XT Rear Hub
LX Front Hub
XT Rear Mech
LX Front Mech
FSA Headset
Tioga Bars
Diore Cranks
Easton EA50 Seatpost
Selle Italia Saddle

I paid £300 for it. The frame is good with only the 853 decal suffering due the previous owner having a chain wrapped there, can you get these?.

I know it's going to need some money spending on it to get it 'right' but I hope I haven't bought a money pit. I'd like to swap the crank along with the shifters and also put some proper tyres back on it. Having looked at the catalogue I also need to find some forks!!

So what do you reckon guys, a good buy or an expensive start to the learning curve?

When I work out how to post images I'll get some up of it.

Cheers,
John

Jonny46":noo9gw5f said:

only the 853 decal suffering due the previous owner having a chain wrapped there, can you get these?.

Click to expand...

Yes £5:

http://reynoldstechnology.biz/assets/pd ... decals.pdf

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=26133

Nice bike - stick some pictures up!

unkleGsif":353duyfq said:

The '99 Explosif was Reynolds 853 I think, tubing which is considered by many to be some of the best there is.....

Anthony will be along shortly to tell you all you need to know about it, he is the resident expert


G

Click to expand...

Except the 853 is only the front triangle. That isn't usually a problem cos other fine tubes more suited to the stays are often used, but in this case, I seem to remember, they're bog standard Cromo.
Could be wrong though;
often am...